Majorca
A year after Ballermann fire: cone brothers continue to tremble
The burnt out ruins next to the whala! Beach Hotel on Mallorca (archive image)
© Tomeu Coll
Because of a bar fire in Mallorca, 13 German cone brothers are under suspicion. Even after a year, they must continue to tremble. And the affected landlady is still suffering.
It’s been a year since the fire at a Ballermann restaurant in Mallorca caused a stir. The restaurant was destroyed and there was talk of possible arson. Since then, 13 so-called cone brothers from the Münsterland have been under suspicion.
The bar “Why Not Mallorca” looks chic again – but appearances are deceptive. The German landlady Alice Klotz still hasn’t gotten over the drama. “If someone in the neighborhood is having a barbecue, I’ll panic,” the woman from Cologne told the weekly newspaper “Mallorca Zeitung”.
Fire in Mallorca caused damage of 60,000 euros
The story is not over for the suspects from Germany either – because the investigation against them is continuing on the Spanish Mediterranean island.
On Wednesday, the cone brothers again protested their innocence. The predominantly young suspects face a trial and – if convicted – prison sentences of up to three years in some cases for negligent arson. “We have cooperated with the Spanish authorities from the beginning and will continue to do so,” they said in a joint statement released through the group’s lawyers.
They are accused of causing the fire in Playa de Palma on May 20, 2022, shortly after their arrival. They are said to have thrown burning cigarettes and alcohol from the balcony of their hotel room onto the thatched roof of the restaurant’s terrace. A brothel, a private apartment and parts of the adjacent hotel were also damaged in the fire.
Ballermann Brand made headlines
Bernd, Alice Klotz’s husband, remembers: “It took the fire brigade 45 minutes. Nothing could be saved.” The couple estimates the damage at 60,000 euros – not including the 133-day downtime on the terrace. The insurance only offered a “tiny amount” that was rejected. It is hoped that the culprit or culprits will soon be determined and will pay for the damage.
The Ballermann brand caused a stir at the time. Apparently, no lesson was learned from this. Alice Klotz and her husband Bernd continue to fight against the bad behavior of many hotel guests who, according to the innkeepers, throw rubbish and glowing cigarette butts onto the newly renovated terrace every day. People often pee from the balcony onto the street in front of the bar. If you say something, you’ll be “silly turned on” by the hotel guests.
Klotz told the “Mallorca Zeitung” that she was still undergoing psychological treatment. The couple regrets that they have not been contacted by the cone brothers, their parents, or a hotel manager. The people of Cologne do not want to comment on the question of guilt. But they also haven’t buried their “Playa dream” yet. “For us Cologners, hope dies last.”
Cone brothers protest their innocence
Meanwhile, the suspects insist that they are not responsible. No one from the group fled the scene of the fire, as was read and heard in the media, they assure. “On the contrary: Individual members of our group warned other hotel guests and supported the emergency services in traffic management.” When the fire was out, they “returned from the beach promenade to the hotel without being asked.” In addition, “all questions were answered extensively on site”.
The group consisted of 13 vacationers. One of them was released without conditions the day after the fire. Four others were allowed to leave prison after around two and a half weeks on bail. The remaining eight were held in custody for around two months before they were allowed to fly back home.
The Germans assure that they “still have confidence in the Spanish judiciary”. One therefore remains “optimistic” and hopes “for a good outcome after a full appreciation of all relevant exculpatory aspects”.
“There is still a lot that needs to be clarified,” they emphasized. The Spanish media reported, among other things, that “before the fire broke out, there were two male people on the outside terrace on the third floor of the whala! beach hotel, one of whom was smoking”. An application “to hear the witnesses recognizable in the corresponding photo” has not yet been granted.
Experts estimate that the preliminary investigation alone can take several months. Only then will a decision be made as to whether to go to trial.